I’ve officially moved my blog over to my new website. It is a business site with a blog. I’m so happy to have finally made the change. Please join me at http://www.mothershyra.com and follow me there. I’ve posted Sunday’s Song and I think you’ll like it. It has a great video to go along with it. I’ve added quite a few extras in the sidebar to keep you all busy and to give you something fun to do. Check it out. I hope you all enjoy my new blog home! 🙂

Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.

I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It’s OK to stumble…I will get up. It’s OK to fail…I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.

I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.

*******This is a great quote and I can see how this is true. For some reason people are always telling me to smile or that I look mean. I actually met a guy at the VA hospital last week that told me when he saw me he said to himself, “Oh God, here we go.” Then we began to talk and I was my normal animated, joking self. It’s not that I don’t have happy thoughts, I guess I just don’t focus on them as much. I will definitely keep this in mind when in public because the last thing I want to do is scare someone off. I won’t walk around with a cheesy grin on my face, but I will at least not look like I’m not looking for a fight! :)*******

*******Do you know where you’re going? Do you know how to get there? If you know where you are going, you do have some inkling of how to get there. Therefore, your path will either be clear now, or become clearer along the way. Don’t fret when you see a wall, either knock it down or go around it. Even The Great Wall of China doesn’t go on forever.*******

********I had a conversation with a friend recently about this. It seems some men think single mothers are looking for fathers for their children. Not true in every case. Many men are still in their children’s lives, so what the woman more than likely wants, is a companion. And it’s a bonus if she wants to have more children with said companion. If she’s at the bottom of your list of “potentials” and you’re waiting until all of your “options” run out…you may miss out on the best “option” entirely.*******

*******This article came from one of my favorite blogs–Guyspeak. These guys speak their minds and aren’t afraid to do it. I’m not sure how old you have to be labeled a WOACA, but this description fits me to a “T”, so I consider myself one. 🙂*******

“Income is derived by what value we can create for others, therefore do what you enjoy, do it the best, and this will allow you to create the most value.”

— Garrett Gunderson, entrepreneur/author

*******So, you’ve created value for yourself, but what about others? Have you alienated, ignored or failed to reach them? You know exactly what you can do best. If you don’t, click here http://www.livecareer.com/free-online-career-test to help you figure out which career path is best for you.*******

*******I don’t know about you, but I’ve grown quite weary of talking, fantasizing, dreaming, hoping and wishing. Nike said, “Just Do It” and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I spoke with an academic adviser once and she told me she used to sing, but gave up after she had children and just resigned herself to having a simple career. I don’t ever want to tell that story or anything close to it. I’m now on the grind…I’m doing it and I vow that whatever I’m doing, I’ll do it well. I am confident enough in my abilities that I’ll bet your bottom dollar I’m going to get to where I want to be. How about you? :)*******

This is an excellent quote. Quoted by Nelson Mandela but wrote by Marianne Williamson (A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles, Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3 (Pg. 190-191))

*******I’ve loved Coldplay since I first heard “Yellow” in the Summer of 2000 while stationed in Germany. I instantly loved Coldplay. S/N One of the best things about being in Germany was a lot of musical artist broke out there first before coming to america…hey that’s one of my favorite movies! I digress. I remember coming home and when Jennifer Lopez debuted her album here in the US, I was like…ummm you guys are late! LOL I miss Germany…ho hum and Haa-rumph!!! :(*******

*******I used to fear the life I would live as I aged. I really believed life would always be rough and I would never have happiness or accomplish any goals. I just existed each day expecting it to remain the same. But lo and behold, I have accomplished so much this year that it is actually mind-boggling how I got to this point. I buckled down and told myself I alone have the power to create my future. What an ego boost that is! I am actually in control of my life and ultimately responsible for how it turns out.

*******One of the biggest differences between success and failure is the amount of resources you seek out to accomplish your goal. Due to some dire times in the past, I have had to learn how to be very resourceful. One of the best compliments I received was when a friend told me she knew she could ask me about pretty much anything and I could tell her where to go or who to call for help. I never viewed anything as an obstacle, but a challenge waiting for me to rise up to and conquer. I’m grateful for those hard times for they taught me how to be a survivor that remains unflappable.*******

*******It’s very easy to get caught up in a ‘woe is me’ mentality and assume because past experiences were bad or difficult to handle, the future will be an exact replica. It used to be hard for me to believe the future would be better, now I see it is indeed better than my past. I’m actually looking forward to my future now because I know it will only get better with time.*******

*******I know first-hand how true this is. I’ve closed my heart off so much over the years and now I finally realize how much I’ve hurt myself in the process. It’s alright though, everything happens for a reason and I’ve learned so much about love and relationships that I feel ready now…I think ;)*******

*******This song rings true for me literally and metaphorically. Jesus has taken the wheel for me many times in my life. The time that is most memorable was when I was desperate to be with my boys and attempted to drive to Michigan from California knowing I was heading into a major winter storm. I had just had my car repaired and packed up my furniture and put it in storage, loaded my car, put my dog in the front seat, prayed w/ my mom and sisters and hit the road. I smiled as I officially left California via the I-15 freeway into Las Vegas. The second I drove onto the onramp, my engine died. I called to Jesus to save me and help me get out of harms way. Although the wheel had locked up, I was able to steer the car into the emergency lane that was beginning to open up in front of my car as the needle on the speedometer quickly dropped from 55 m.p.h. to o m.p.h. The second my car was completely in the emergency lane, my car stopped completely. I knew I was headed into a certain death as I had already saw the severe storm warnings. But I didn’t care because I needed and wanted to be with my boys so badly, I would die trying to get to them. But Jesus literally took the wheel and I’m living with my babies today because he saved me.*******

spendthrift

noun: A person who spends money wastefully.adjective: Wasteful with money.

ETYMOLOGY:

A spendthrift is, literally, one who spends his wealth, from Middle English thrift (prosperity), from Old Norse thrifast (to thrive), from thrifa (to grasp). Earliest documented use: 1601.

NOTES:

Spendthrift is the longest word whose phonetic and normal spellings are the same. Two colorful synonyms of this word are dingthrift and scattergood.

USAGE:

“A Saudi judge has told a seminar on domestic violence that it is okay for a man to slap his wife for lavish spending.”Saudi Judge Says OK to Slap Spendthrift Wife; Agence France Presse (Paris); May 10, 2009.

“You must find the place inside yourself where nothing is impossible.”

— Deepak Chopra: is an authority in the field of mind-body healing

*******The only way you will find the guts to do what you really want to do, is to go deep inside yourself. Once you do this, you will find that place that is super confident and doesn’t care about obstacles, oppositions, failures or what others may think.*******